Overview
- Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy ordered phased flight reductions at the 40 busiest airports—4% Friday, 5% Saturday, 6% Sunday—rising to 10% next week, with the FAA saying international flights are excluded.
- SNAP benefits are being limited and recalculated by the Agriculture Department, and a CBPP analysis cited by the New York Times warns at least 5 million people could see benefits eliminated and others reduced by 61%, though officials say a total suspension will not occur.
- Talks remain stuck under the Senate’s 60‑vote threshold, with Republicans holding 53 seats and Democrats insisting on extending ACA subsidies and protecting Medicaid before providing votes.
- President Trump is urging Republicans to deploy the “nuclear option” to end the filibuster, a move opposed by senior GOP senators including Majority Leader John Thune.
- Economic damage is estimated at roughly $15 billion per week and near $80 billion so far, services from the EPA to the FDA are curtailed, and between about 750,000 and 1.4 million federal workers have been furloughed without pay.